Mail-bag holder.



G. E. GONKLING.

MAIL BAG HOLDER.

APPLICATION IILED MAR. 9, 1912.

1,044,499. Patented Nov. 19, 1912.

E I E W26 49W 5%? 3 ATTOR EY gt WI TNESSES: aw

. closed.

CHARLES E.

MAIL-BA itdi i i diiti.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 9,

PATENT til hll fllnli CONKLING, OF PEOSTA, IOWA.

Gr HOLDER.

Patented Nov. 119, i912. 1912. Serial No. 682,795.

To all whom it may concern:

e it known that it, Crmnnns E. Con .KLING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Peosta, in the county of Dubuque and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Bag Holders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to mail bag catchers with special reference to devices for holding the bag under all circumstances in a convenient position and readily to be engaged by the crane on the train as it passes.

In what it consists, its manner of construction and mode of operation will be fully de scribed in the following specification and illustrated in the drawings accompanying the same and forming a part hereof in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my device attached to the standard and holding a mail bag in position to be caught by the train. Fi 2 is a side view of the device Fig. 3 is a side view of the device open.

Like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in each of the drawings.

In the practical use of devices of this class great ditliculty is experienced in holding the bag on the standard in high winds and against the rush of the passing train, and various devices have been used with indifferent success, for if a resilient attachment for keeping the mail bag on the standard is used, it often requires so strong a. spring that itis diliicult for the operator to bring the rings of the bag into engagement with the standard and if the spring is too weak there is liability of the bag being forced off the standard by the wind or rush of the train, and hence they are frequently tied on. By my invention all these objections and difficulties are avoided and the mail bag can be easily attached by a child and still maintain the bag in position on the standard under the most adverse circumstances.

Referring to the drawings 2 represents the standard, 4 the upper arm and 5 the lower arm. The arms are provided with metal extensions 6. To these extensions 6 is re- I movably secured my attachment 8, which consists of a bar 10 sllghtly rounded on its upper surface and provided with one or,-

which it may be metal extension 10 is secured. a This spring is more bolt holes through pivotally attached to the 6. To the top of the bar spring 12 by the bolt 15.

i! bent at nearly right angles at 16 and again I at 18 then parallel with the bar 10 for part of the length of the bar when it is again i bent to form a seat 20, and extends beyond l the seat to the end of the bar, where it is l formed into an oblong or elliptical shaped 1 knob 22 or it may be bent into elliptical I shape as shown in F 2. In the seat 20 I is a clasp 24 that surrounds the spring in the seat 20 and the bar 10 and to which is pivotally attached a lever 25 having a handle 26 and atthe end, it is formed into cam shape 28.

In operating my invention the lever 25 is i brought to vertical position; thus allowing I the spring 12 to come into action and rise I to the position shown in Fig. 8. The mail bag being supplied with the usual rings 32, and, as the ends 22 of the springs 12 are thereby disengaged from contact with the bar 10, the rings 32 will readily slide along on the bar 10 till they have passed the knobs 22. Then the operator grasps the lever 25 by the handle 26 and turns it backward. The :am 28 will then engage the under side of the bar 10 and draw down the link 24 and bring down the knob 22 until it contacts or nearly contacts with the bar 10 and locks the spring in this position. "When the train passes and the crane on the train strikes the bag it will draw the bag with the rings along on the bar 10 till the rings strike the knobs 22 and the spring from the groove to the outer end will give sufficiently to allow the rings to pass oil the bar 10 out from under the knobs 22 and thus release the ba It will be seen by this mode of construction and operation that when the lever is released the mail bag can be readily attached to the bars, as the spring is released from contact with bar sufliciently to allow the rings of the mail bag to he slid on to the bar without coming in contact with the spring and when the lever is operated and the spring closed there is no danger of the bag becoming removed from the bars even under extraordinary winds or influence of a passing train.

Having now described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device of the character described, a standard, a bar attached to the standard, a spring secured to the bar, and lever provided with a cam adapted to hold the mail bag between the bar and spring.

2. In a device of the character described,

a standard, a bar attached to the standard, a spring bent near the center and secured on the bar, a clasp coinpassing the spring and the bar, and a lever loosely attached to the clasp for holding the spring under tension.

3. In a device of the character described, a standard, a bar on the standard, a spring secured to the bar and provided with a seat near its center and bent toward the bar at its outer end, clasp encircling the bar and spring at the central part of the spring, and a lever loosely attached to the clasp and adapted to engage the bar and hold the spring under tension.

L. in a device of the character described and in combination with rings on a mail bag, a standard provlded with arms, a bar pivoted to each arm of the-standard and said bars concave and convex on opposite sides, a spring secured to said bar and provided with a seat, a knob on each spring, a clasp encircling said bar and spring and resting in the seat in the spring, a lever provided with a cam loosely attached to said clasp and adapted to engage the concave surface of the bar and hold the spring under tension and the rings on the mail bag in engagement with the bars.

In testimony whereof, I my signature in the presence of tWO Witnesses. CHARLES E. CONKLING.

Witnesses M. M. CADY, R. HOEFER.

Gopies 01 this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

